family

I’m a bit weird when it comes to privacy. My family—and I mean my immediate family—tends not to know what I’m up to. So, the last couple of times that I came to the Philippines, the only family I told I was coming was my brother, as he’s the only one that I felt that I really had to visit. This time, however, I thought that I should contact my uncle and his family. But it took me a week after I arrived before I actually called. We saw him after I interviewed Troy. We had dinner with him at his house.

My uncle is a cool guy. He is smart and a go-getter. He is a self-made man who has done very well for himself, but he remains very lowkey and down to earth. And if you know anything about Filipino culture, you’d know how different that is from how most people act. I don’t know why I hesitate to go see him and his family. I guess it’s the part about having to tell them what I’m up to. But I actually only had to talk to him that day, as my aunt was already in Cebu and my two cousins had other plans. My cousins were not far from our conversation, though. Being the proud father that he is, he talked about my younger cousin’s non-traditional debut party and even showed us the video.

He also mentioned that my older cousin, who is only about 24, was just promoted to AVP of a big Asian bank. And that’s after only two years there. I find that extremely impressive not only because she’s so young, but also because the Philippines tends to be big on nepotism and seniority. So, I was glad to know that there’s still room for rewards based on merit. But this shows just how extraordinary my cousin is. I tend to lament the fact that much of Philippine education is spoonfeeding and does not teach critical thinking. And I’m proud that my cousin escaped that. She got her promotion because she initiated and implemented a couple of programs at the bank, instead of being meek as most people her age (and older) are. Heck, what was I doing when I was 24? So, you go, girl!